“How did my phone know I wanted that?”
Have you ever searched for a pair of shoes, only to find advertisements for them everywhere you go online? Or noticed that your social media feed seems to know exactly what kind of videos you’ll watch for hours? It may seem like a coincidence, but behind almost everything we do online is something called an algorithm.
An algorithm is simply a set of instructions designed to solve a problem or make a decision. In today’s digital world, algorithms help determine what videos appear on your TikTok “For You” page, which songs Spotify recommends, what products you see while shopping online and even the fastest route to your destination on Google Maps.
Algorithms have become a part of our everyday lives, often without us even realizing it.
Every time you open social media, algorithms decide which posts appear first. Rather than showing everything in chronological order, platforms prioritize content they believe you’ll enjoy based on your previous likes, comments, shares and the amount of time you spend watching certain posts. The more you interact with something, the more similar content you’re likely to see.
The same happens when you’re shopping online. Have you ever added something to your cart without buying it, only to receive advertisements for it later? Online stores use algorithms to recommend products based on your browsing history and previous purchases, making shopping more personalized and sometimes a little harder to resist.
Even streaming platforms rely heavily on algorithms. Instead of spending hours searching for your next movie or song, services like Netflix and Spotify analyse your viewing and listening habits to recommend content tailored to your preferences. While this makes entertainment more convenient, it also means we’re often shown similar types of content instead of exploring something completely new.
Algorithms also play an important role beyond entertainment. Banks use them to detect suspicious transactions and reduce fraud. Hospitals use them to assist doctors in identifying diseases. Navigation apps calculate the quickest routes by analysing live traffic conditions. Search engines organize billions of webpages within seconds to provide the information we’re looking for.
But algorithms aren’t perfect.
Because they learn from our behaviour, they can sometimes create what is known as an “echo chamber”; an environment where we’re repeatedly shown opinions and information that reinforce what we already believe while limiting our exposure to different perspectives. This can influence the news we read, the products we buy and even the way we think about certain issues.
There are also concerns about privacy. Every click, search, like and share provides data that helps algorithms understand us better. While this often creates a more personalized experience, it also raises important questions about how our personal information is collected, stored and used.
Algorithms are neither good nor bad, they are simply tools. The real impact depends on how they are designed and how we choose to interact with them. Understanding how algorithms work allows us to make more informed decisions, think critically about the content we consume and maintain greater control over our digital lives.
The next time your phone recommends the perfect song, suggests exactly what you were thinking of buying, or shows you a video that keeps you scrolling for hours, remember, it might not be reading your mind. It’s simply following an algorithm.
Written By: –
Rtr. Kawindra Wickramasinghe
(Co Editor 2026-27)
